| After WWI, President Woodrow Wilson said, "the | | | | want to bring benefits to the common man because |
| highest and best form of efficiency is the | | | | if there is economic activity and prosperity, it will be |
| spontaneous cooperation of a free people." Where is | | | | shared by the people of these countries." Moreover, |
| the evidence of spontaneous cooperation in our | | | | all 10 nations of the Association of Southeast Asian |
| world today? Historically, it seems that the cause of | | | | Nations (ASEAN) have pledged to interconnect the |
| war -- Pearl Harbor, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and | | | | grids of its members. |
| September 11th -- will catalyze a society and nations | | | | In Africa, NEPAD (New African Partnership for |
| to cooperate. Must we have our backs to the wall, | | | | Development) and the African Development Bank are |
| or is it possible for a compelling vision to create | | | | supporting the Kenya - Ethiopia agreement to supply |
| spontaneous cooperation? | | | | power to each other. Modeled after the 12 nation |
| The Critical Question | | | | South African Power Pool, 14 ECOWAS (Economic |
| In 1969, Dr. R Buckminster Fuller (most well known | | | | Community of West African States) nations are |
| for geodesic domes and Buckyballs) developed a | | | | planning to link their energy grids. |
| World Game simulation to explore global resources | | | | The Middle East has seen an wave of integration. |
| and trends. It posed the critical question, "how do we | | | | Lebanon will be linked to the regional electricity grid |
| make the world work for 100% of humanity in the | | | | that includes Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey as of |
| shortest possible time through spontaneous | | | | the beginning of next year. This interconnection |
| cooperation without ecological damage or | | | | project also involves the joining of Libya and Iraq. |
| disadvantage of anyone?" In other words, how do | | | | Last month, former enemies Iran and Iraq agreed to |
| we provide a decent living standard for everyone in | | | | build four cross-border power lines to transfer 1000 |
| an environmentally sustainable way? The part about | | | | MW of power. |
| "through spontaneous cooperation" always remained | | | | Mexico's Mesoamerica Initiative plans to integrate the |
| a puzzle to me. How does positive change happen | | | | energy grids all Central American nations. The World |
| spontaneously on a global scale? | | | | Bank and the US DOE are partnering with the Central |
| The premier strategy of Fuller's global simulation was | | | | American Integration Secretariat to encourage clean |
| the interconnection of electric power grids between | | | | energy development, emphasizing renewables over |
| regions and nations with an emphasis on tapping | | | | fossil fuel projects. |
| abundant renewable energy resources around the | | | | Most of these projects have been planned by |
| world. Electricity provides the foundation of our | | | | engineers for years. The economic benefits -- load |
| modern society, and power grids act as freeways | | | | leveling, reliability of supply, emergency backup -- are |
| that deliver the electricity to power our homes, | | | | all proven. Yet international transmission requires |
| businesses and industry. During the 20th Century, | | | | agreement between ministries of energy and state, |
| transmission lines delivered electricity from large, | | | | financial institutions, local utilities and property owners. |
| centralized plants that burned fossil fuels and nuclear | | | | Cooperation must overcome the combined barriers |
| energy. Today, developers of wind, solar and | | | | of multiple stakeholders. |
| geothermal resources in remote locations are plugging | | | | Emergence through emergency |
| into these expanding grid systems -- decentralizing | | | | So what's happened in the world to cause these |
| power production while increasing grid integration. | | | | nations to work together? Buckminster Fuller said |
| But spontaneous cooperation? Hardly. Any project | | | | that society will often "emerge through emergency" |
| developer will tell you all the hurdles they face due to | | | | -- because when times are good, any change at all is |
| regulations, interconnection and siting issues. In the | | | | difficult. For many developing nations the challenge is |
| energy industry, the time lag between project | | | | dire: 1.6 billion people have no electrical services - no |
| proposal to actual commissioning can be 10 - 20 | | | | refrigeration of food or medicine, clean water or |
| years. | | | | lighting. For the rest of us, scientific consensus on |
| Yet quietly -- below the radar of most observers -- | | | | climate change clearly places the cause on our |
| Fuller's vision of using power lines to link nations | | | | 'addiction to oil' for transportation, and burning coal |
| across borders has recently been energized at a | | | | and natural gas for power production. |
| pace never seen before. | | | | Today, half the nations on the planet are linked with |
| Nations are linking up | | | | a neighbor, but half remain electric energy islands. The |
| In the past few months, Russia and China agreed to | | | | emergencies of our time: poverty, climate change, |
| large-scale power grid interconnections that will | | | | peace and population growth are in our face daily. |
| benefit both economies. Additionally, the Chinese | | | | These issues and their solutions transcend political |
| have signed deals with Tajikistan and Vietnam to | | | | boundaries. National leaders are seeing the benefits of |
| build transmission lines across their respective borders. | | | | mutual interdependence over trying to go it alone. |
| The South Koreans have offered to extend their grid | | | | Woodrow Wilson spoke of spontaneous cooperation |
| into North Korea and modernize the North Korean | | | | in a post WWI context. Now we're seeing |
| network as a part of the negotiations to scrap the | | | | spontaneous cooperation spread around the world -- |
| North's nuclear program. | | | | shaping international relationships from the old "us vs. |
| In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan | | | | them" paradigm to a one based on mutual benefit. In |
| and Pakistan have proposed a transmission line | | | | power transmission between nations, sharing means |
| among their states. Calling it a "win-win situation", the | | | | having more. That's synergy -- and what's needed on |
| Krgryz Energy Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi stated "we | | | | every continent. |